Confessions of an eager vacationer

 

 

For this entry I collected excerpts from personal emails I recently wrote to my colleagues or friends who are not using this blog.

 

Excerpt one from a letter on life in Izmir and work/school

 

Our life here in Izmir is slowly getting more settled; however, I can't help feeling that it is only temporary. My parents have made me feel very welcome in their apartment, and the kids and I are enjoying being looked after. It's nice having so much love and support from my sister and niece, my parents and grandmother all at once.

 

As far as quality of education is concerned, the school proved to be one of the best in Izmir, but as a work place it is FAR from ideal. I was assigned middle school grades 5, 6, 7 in all three levels - beginner, intermediate and advanced. I have 27 teaching hours all together during the week, and I teach 9 different levels, each with their own multiple books assigned. The classes are only 40 minutes long though, so by the time you greet students and take the roll, it leaves you about 35 minutes for actual instruction. The teaching is very inflexible and non-communicative. All the great methodology and skills I  have accumulated both in the previous teaching years and especially during the teacher training sessions have to be temporarily put aside. I have been given detailed lesson plans for the first four weeks of the semester, and I am expected to follow those plans to the minute detail. On one hand, it may prove practical because considering my schedule, preparing a lesson plan for 27 lessons a week for 9 different levels may be overwhelming; on the other hand, though, I have to throw out the door all the notions of student centered individualistic approach, forget about spontaneity and creativity. Anyone who knows me at least a little bit will agree on how demotivating this is for me. Another issue is, of course, behavior. Some of the kids are uncontrollably rude and disrespectful. I already had to show them my 'other' face (which before I showed on very few occasions :)), and,  hopefully, it will be enough to keep them in place for the rest of the year. My new colleagues are very nice and very helpful; however, in general, there's very little support for new instructors. You pretty much have to figure things out on your own. Because the school has multiple campuses and the managements is only located in the main campus, on other campuses there is lack of direction and there is no one to really tell you anything definite. The time table is a nightmare. The first week of classes I saw some students more than five times a week, and didn't see some at all. Sometimes, I had to go into the classroom unprepared at the last minute because there was no other instructor available to go in. Anyway, the first week was very trying. On top of general lack of direction and organization, instructors are expected to provide their own supplies and technology. I was given one board marker!!!! We are advised to project material on the board and play CDs, but the classrooms have neither computers nor speakers. All the instructors bought their own laptops and speakers (imagine that), and are carrying their stuff around from classroom to classroom. Spoilt by my previous places of employment, I, naturally, refused to provide my own technology and gave them a kind of ultimatum that if I don't get a laptop and speakers, I won't be using technology at all. Luckily, they provided me with both the next day. There are other very illogical, impractical and at times simply stupid policies that are in place at the school which I am not very eager to follow. I'm afraid I may get fired from this job before the year ends for not showing enough flexibility and not being willing to conform! I feel quite a revolutionary at the moment! :)

From all of the above it is not hard to guess that it will be very hard for Eldeniz and me to readjust to living in Turkey. Life here has deteriorated much since we left, and even since 2014, when we visited last. Everyone is trying to leave, or at least, to find a way to send kids away. I am already thinking of when or how or where I can go. However, I think it was good for us to return now. The kids are enjoying being with family. Eldeniz's Turkish and Russian have improved even in the past three weeks, but there is a general feeling among us all that it is just a temporary vacation for us here. My mom is already making plans to finally quit her job and come and stay with us more in the US.

...
 I miss Fayetteville so much, especially the calm and peacefulness of its parks, lakes and trails. I have never been a very outdoorsy person, but here, living among cement and dust, I long for more nature. Going to the seaside was a temporary relief. Here, in the suburbs of Izmir and on the seashore of the Aegean you involuntarily feel the presence of something great - in the splashing of the waves onto the sandy beaches, in the breeze coming from the surrounding picks, in the rustling of the palm trees. You pick up a pebble washed onto the beach a moment ago by the surf and imagine some two and a bit thousand years ago perhaps Alexander the Great stood right at this spot and pickled up this pebble. In the distance, you can see very subtle silhouettes of the Greek islands and think that someone on the other side of the bay- a Greek woman or child or old man perhaps- may be waving at you. I am posting below a picture of the surf at dusk I took a few days ago. 

Excerpt two from a letter to a friend on our Izmir diet :)

  

With so many people now living in my parents' house we naturally cook food ALL THE TIME! Below I am giving you some ideas regarding our diet here in Izmir. We consume here a LOT of herbs! Every Friday is pazar day, or market day, in my mom's neighborhood, so a few blocks from her house from about 8 am to 8 pm you can find any seasonal fruit or vegetable your heart, or stomach, can desire. The prices are cheap compared to Fay. Anyway, on average in our household we go down to the market several times. At first, my mom and my grandma make an early trip to buy herbs. And buy herbs they do! Mint, purple basil, fennel, parsley, young celery greens (very tender and not at all crunchy) complete with enormous celery roots, spinach, scallions are the usual set. They buy a few bunches of each. On Saturday, my grandmother spends the whole day washing and mincing them. Usually, they either make it into a 'green borsch' ( I don't have a picture of it, but just to let you know, the soup is literally green, has chunks of potatoes and a few hard boiled eggs in it), a green sauté  of some sort to be served over rice or with meat, or a simple frittata. You can also make borek, or stuffed pastries, but the women in our family are too lazy for that at the moment! :) Also, I highly recommend sautéed celery roots. In Fay you can get them at Whole Foods. Two or three good size roots will make you a lovely side dish. Simply, clean, peel and dice the celery root and a carrot or two if you wish, place all into a sauté pan with a little bit of water and salt and cook until tender adding water as needed. Remove from heat, add olive oil, black pepper and chopped parsley to taste. Let cool if you wish before serving! Enjoy!

From our Izmir diet - the red blob is a tomato :) and in the left corner the celery dish I explained above. Highly recommended! :)

 

 

 

The beach at dusk.